Better app archiving & more

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Better app archiving & more
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The launch of the first Android 15 Beta is here and it brings a suite of changes that are all aimed at making things more convenient for both developers and users. As a beta, users might be more inclined to check it out. On top of that, Google should be sending OTA updates to those enrolled in the beta. So if you’re not a developer and want to test out the new software, keep an eye out for the alert that it’s available for download. As well as enroll in the beta if you haven’t done so already.

In terms of what’s new, users can expect things like better archiving and unarchiving of applications. While this might not seem like anything important, it will actually make things more streamlined. Google says this should help performance by allowing users to more easily free up space by partially removing apps that aren’t being used as often. Your data for those apps is still there though so you aren’t uninstalling everything. Just the bits that aren’t necessary. Now, app archiving itself is not new as Google introduced it last year with Android 14. However, Android 15 improves upon it by expanding the support to the OS level.

What this means is that third-party app stores can now more easily implement the archiving and unarchiving capabilities. So users will end up being able to partially remove more infrequently used apps than before. Then when they plan to use them again they can unarchive them.

The launch of Android 15 Beta 1 brings in better security

Google is continuing its quest for ever better security in Android and with the Android 15 Beta 1, that manifests in a few ways. Malicious background apps are where we’ll start. In the Android 15 Beta 1, Google is improving this aspect by adding more ways to prevent malicious background apps from bringing other apps to the foreground. Malicious apps acting in the background to bring other apps forward can be a huge problem if the security isn’t where it should be.

Specifically, because these apps brought to the foreground could end up abusing user interaction due to elevated privileges. Android 15 Beta 1 also introduces improved user capability to secure contact information. Google is making this work by introducing the E2eeContactKeysManager which “facilitates end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in your Android apps by providing an OS-level API for the storage of cryptographic public keys.”

Basically, it’s a way to securely manage and verify the contact information you have stored on your device.

Better support for braille displays

Android 15 Beta 1 introduces better support for braille displays. Support for braille displays already exists in Android but the current method works by connecting a braille display either through Bluetooth or USB. In Android 15, Google has added support for braille displays that work off a Human Interface Device protocol. This is designed to improve the accessibility of the device in conjunction with the TalkBack features. Google says this will help Android support a “wider range of braille displays over time.” So the intention here is to enable more people to use Android.

Default edge-to-edge display for Android 15-targeted apps, and improved NFC experiences

Android 15 Beta 1 Edge to Edge Display Improvements

(Left: Android 14 – Right: Android 15)

Google is making some improvements for developers to better implement the edge-to-edge display visibility for apps. For users, more apps should end up appearing as edge-to-edge. Visually, this will place the content draw behind the default, and system bars will be transparent or translucent as you see in the image above. As for improved NFC experiences, this is something that Google brought forward with the most recent developer preview of Android 15. The beta will make things even better by allowing apps to register a fingerprint on supported devices.

In implementing this, apps can now “be notified of polling loop activity, which allows for smooth operation with multiple NFC-aware applications.” What this means for users is that using NFC-based features should happen a lot more smoothly. In Developer Preview 2, this focused on making tap to pay experiences quicker and more convenient.

The release schedule

This is the first Android 15 beta but there’s still more than a few months before we reach a stable and final rollout. Starting with the first beta today, users can now participate in the software as early adopters. While users could install the developer previews, it wasn’t recommended as they were really meant for developers to start ensuring their apps were meeting Android 15 standards. With today’s release, Google is once again highlighting the release schedule for future updates. This includes another beta release in May, as well as beta releases in June and July that will have “platform stability,” then reaching a final rollout later this year.


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How to check if your data was exposed in the AT&T breach

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How to check if your data was exposed in the AT&T breach
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AT&T has notified US state authorities and regulators about its recent (or not) data breach, saying 51,226,382 people were affected.

For those that have missed the story so far:

  • Back in 2021, a hacker named Shiny Hunters claimed to have breached AT&T.
  • On March 20, 2024, we reported how the data of over 70 million people was posted for sale on an online cybercrime forum. The seller claimed the data came from the Shiny Hunters breach. However, AT&T denied (both in 2021 and in March, 2024) that the data came from its systems.
  • On March 30, AT&T reset customer passcodes after a security researcher discovered the encrypted login passcodes found in the leaked data were easy to decipher.
  • Finally, on April 2, 2024, AT&T confirmed that 73 million current and former customers were caught up the data leak.

Weirdly enough, in the data breach notification, AT&T says the date of discovery of the breach was March 26, 2024. AT&T has still not disclosed the source of the leak, but says the data appears to be from June 2019 or earlier.

Malwarebytes VP of Consumer Privacy, Oren Arar, describes the AT&T breach as “especially risky” because of the type of data that’s been exposed.

“SSN, name, date of birth—this is personal identifiable information (PII) that cannot be changed, and if scammers get their hands on it, it just makes their work in stealing people’s identities a lot easier. In addition, this exposed data was published on the internet – in a way that anyone could access it, and not on the dark web where you need some expertise to find it”.

Check if your data was exposed

Malwarebytes has a super easy tool—Malwarebytes Digital Footprint Portal—that allows you to check if your data was part of the AT&T breach. Just click the button below, enter your email address, and we’ll let you know what personal information we find.

We will keep you posted of any new developments in this case. Stay tuned!

We don’t just report on threats – we help safeguard your entire digital identity

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your—and your family’s—personal information by using identity protection.


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Android 15 will let you set a default wallet app

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Android 15 will let you set a default wallet app
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One of the major advantages of the Android operating system over iOS is its more extensive customization support. Android not only lets you change the default home screen launcher but also the default assistant service, default browser app, default dialer app, and default SMS app. Starting in Android 15, the operating system will also let you select a default wallet app.

Android, unlike iOS, has for a long time let third-party apps access the NFC chip for contactless payments. Most Android devices ship with Google Pay as the default contactless payments app, but Galaxy devices ship with Samsung Pay as the default instead. In either case, the Android OS lets users choose which app to set as the default payments app. In stock Android, users can change this setting by navigating to Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → NFC → Contactless payments → Default payment app, as shown below.

Android 15 default contactless payment app

Changing Android’s default app for contactless payments requires quite a few taps, as you can see. Many users may not even know that they can change this setting. You don’t see it listed alongside the other default preferences under Settings → Apps → Default apps. To fix this, Android 15 is preparing to add a new “wallet app” preference, according to strings of code Android Headlines found within the latest Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1 update.

According to the strings, “wallet apps can store your credit and loyalty cards, car keys and other things to help with various forms of transactions.”

<string name="role_wallet_description">Wallet apps can store your credit and loyalty cards, car keys and other things to help with various forms of transactions.</string>
<string name="role_wallet_label">Default wallet app</string>
<string name="role_wallet_short_label">Wallet app</string>

This is exactly what wallet apps like Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet do already, which is why it’s no surprise that Google Wallet already appears in the “default wallet app” settings page that we manually enabled. Alongside Google Wallet, the app for American Express (“Amex”) also appears in the “default wallet app” settings page. Any app with default contactless payments support can also act as the wallet app, according to the code change that implements this feature in Android 15.

Android 15 default wallet app

If you’re wondering what the difference is between the new “default wallet app” setting and the old “default payment app” setting, there isn’t really one. In fact, by activating the new “default wallet app” page, tapping on “Contactless payments” under Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → NFC redirects the user to the new page instead of the old one. For the most part, the new “default wallet app” preference seems like a rebranded version of the existing “default payment app” setting.

However, there’s one minor difference between the two. The new “default wallet app” is defined using Android’s Roles API, a platform and developer feature introduced in Android 10. A role is defined as a “unique name within the system associated with certain permissions and privileges.” Android has a bunch of roles defined internally. However, most of them can only belong to system apps. The new wallet role, however, is not limited to system apps, hence why it’s visible under Android’s “default apps” settings.

Benefits

One benefit of the Roles API is that apps can utilize it to prompt you to grant them a particular role. In this case, wallet apps can ask you to grant them the new wallet role in Android 15, so you don’t have to dive into settings to do so. Your device’s manufacturer can still set the default for you, like Google has done on their Pixel phones, but your preferred wallet app can take over with your permission.

<string name="role_wallet_request_description">No permissions needed</string>
<string name="role_wallet_request_title">Set %1$s as your default wallet app?</string>

Apart from that, the introduction of the wallet role in Android 15 doesn’t bring any additional benefits for apps as far as I can tell. Still, making this default preference more visible to users and easier to access for third parties could alleviate some of the pressure that Google has been recently facing from regulators.


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Android 15 will bring a new screensaver with smart home controls

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Android 15 will bring a new screensaver with smart home controls
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It seems that Android 15 will make it easier to control your smart home devices thanks to a new “Home Controls” screensaver. The feature will include shortcuts to useful controls that will speed up this task, since you will not have to unlock the phone to tweak parameters in your IoT products.

Mishaal Rahman found the “Home Controls” screensaver in the latest Android 15 Developer Preview 2. However, the feature is apparently in the early stages of development. This means that it is not visible by default, so you will have to enable it manually to test it. After enabling it, it will be available in the same section where you usually set a new screensaver.

This will be the new smart home controls screensaver for Android 15

If you set the smart home screensaver, it will show your favorite Google Home controls under the time. So, you can access these controls quickly and without complications. According to the report, the feature uses the same UI that appears when you set the Google Home app as Android’s Device Controls in Android 14. This could be to maintain familiarity and facilitate setup. However, we still cannot rule out a redesigned UI in the final version.

Android 15 home controls screen saver UI
Source: Android Authority

Although it uses a UI inherited from the Google Home app, the smart home controls screensaver is powered by the SystemUI app. So, it seems that it will be practically a partial integration of the Home app into the OS. That said, in its current state, the new feature only works with Google Home. This means that there is no support for other Device Controls providers. So, developers of other Device Controls apps will have to create their own configurable screensaver.

Lastly, the report indicates that the new feature will be compatible with all Android devices running Android 15. This is because the related code was implemented in the com.android.systemui path instead of com.google.android.systemui, so it will not be exclusive to Pixel products.


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Next-gen iPad Pro may finally have an OLED display

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Next-gen iPad Pro may finally have an OLED display
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New findings suggest that Apple could finally implement OLED displays in its next iPad Pro. This possibility has been rumored for a while, but new clues indicate that it could finally be a reality.

Apple has been using OLED screens on its iPhones for a while, it but has not yet made the leap on its iPads. Until now, the brand’s large-screen devices have used LCD and mini-LED screens. This may be due to the high costs associated with OLED screens in larger formats. However, direct rivals such as Samsung already use the technology in their premium tablets.

That said, the 9to5Mac team analyzed the iPadOS 17.5 beta code and found new display firmware that suggests the implementation of OLED screens in the next iPad Pro. According to the report, there are four identifiers for the future device: (iPad16,3), (iPad16,4), (iPad16,5), and (iPad16,6). This is because it will be available in two screen sizes, and each size will be offered with and without cellular support.

It’s noteworthy that the new iPad Pro could be more expensive than previous generations. So, an OLED screen, with all the image quality advantages that it entails, would help justify the price increase.

The first iPad Pro with an OLED display could be very close

The fact that the identifiers are already present in the iPadOS 17.5 beta code is important. First, it practically confirms the presence of OLED technology in Apple’s future iPad Pro. Furthermore, it also means that its launch should not be too far away. In fact, a report states that the device could arrive during the second week of May.

9to5Mac found references to a new stylus in the iPadOS 17.5 beta code too. The accessory could bring a new “squeeze” gesture that would trigger certain actions. Also, there are references to “LongSqueeze” and “DoubleSqueeze”. This suggests that the gesture could be executed in multiple ways depending on what you want to do.

Finally, it is even possible that the new stylus is compatible with Apple’s “Find My” network. The same source found references to it in January, but so far, no Apple stylus has implemented it. So, the new iPad Pro stylus could be the ideal candidate to debut support for the feature.


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Find My Device on empty will be exclusive to pricey phones

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Find My Device on empty will be exclusive to pricey phones
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Google recently launched its Find My Device network, and it rivals Apple’s Find My network. While this is definitely a boon for Android users, it’s not without its caveats. We got news that the Find My Device on empty feature will be tied to pricey phones.

Android devices have had a Find My Device function for years. However, the newly launched network is different. Rather than relying on your device being connected to the internet, the Find My Device network will use a network of Bluetooth-connected Android devices to help you pinpoint your device’s location. It’s a very convenient way of tracking down your lost phone.

In fact, popular tracker companies like Chipolo will make their trackers compatible with the network in the coming weeks. We can also expect devices from companies such as Motorola.

Find My Device on empty will be tied to pricey phones

Along with the news about this Network, Google also announced a great feature to Find My Device network. You will be able to locate your device even if it’s on 0% battery. We’re not quite sure how this technology works, but it seems likely that the phone will still be able to transmit a Bluetooth signal even when it cannot power on. When a phone is dead, there’s still a fair amount of juice in the battery. This battery juice powers the phone’s internal clock among other things.

So, if your Pixel 8 Pro is lost in a diner, and it was on 1% battery when you lost it, you don’t have to worry about it dying before you find it.  However, this feature is not without its caveats.

According to a new report, the Find My Device on empty feature will be available for your phone if it’s of the pricey category. Right now, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro (Review) have the ability to ping other devices while powered off, but this is because of specialized hardware. So, this functionality remains inaccessible to most other phones.

But, this could change

The company plans to remedy this, as it said so in a statement. “We are working with other SoCs and OEMs on how we can bring the capability to find devices with dead batteries to additional premium Android devices,”  a Google representative told Android Authority. The unfortunate thing is that the representative mentioned “additional premium” Android devices. The term “premium” could be a bit fluid. However, we’re certain that most phones under $800 will not receive this functionality.

Being able to locate a device that is powered off is a very nifty feature, but it is not make or break for the Find My Device network. So, most people will be able to enjoy it regardless.


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Meta blurring nudity in Instagram DMs

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Meta blurring nudity in Instagram DMs
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Meta will blur Instagram DMs (Direct Messages) that contain nudity. Additionally, the company will also warn teenagers about the ever-increasing danger of sextortion scams.

Meta rolls out nudity warnings and blurs DMs to protect teens

Instagram is getting a direly needed feature to protect teens from scams, exploitation, and abuse. Meta has announced that it will blur messages that have nude images.

Moreover, to protect minors on the platform from abuse and sexually exploitative scams, Meta will warn users about the dangers of exchanging sexually explicit images.

Meta is rolling out the two features globally. Users who are under 18 will have the security option turned on by default. It is not clear if Instagram will allow users who are below 18 years of age to turn the feature and warnings off. Meta will send out notifications encouraging adults to enable the prompts.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Meta has started automatically detecting nude photos in DMs. These features are aimed at protecting teens and adults from the growing menace of sextortion (sexual extortion), Meta claimed.

How will Meta recognize and blur nude images, and warn users?

Meta claims it is using “on-device machine learning” to analyze whether an image sent via Instagram’s direct messaging service contains nudity. In other words, all the processing and detection will take place on the device.

Meta has reportedly assured it won’t have access to these images. However, users can always report these images to the company.

With the setting and warnings enabled, Meta will present Instagram users, who receive nude photographs, a message telling them not to feel pressured to respond. In an announcement about the feature, Meta noted,

“This feature is designed not only to protect people from seeing unwanted nudity in their DMs but also to protect them from scammers who may send nude images to trick people into sending their (own) images in return.”

Instagram will also proactively try to prevent users who try to send a DM with a nude image. The notification will warn them about the dangers of sharing sensitive photos. Additionally, users who attempt to forward a nude image they’ve received will also receive a warning.


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Taxi Software Vendor Data Leak: 300K Passengers Data Exposed

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Taxi Software Vendor Data Leak: 300K Passengers Data Exposed
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Around 300,000 taxi passengers’ personal information was left exposed on the internet, causing concern in the UK and Ireland.

Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered the breach involving Dublin-based taxi dispatch system provider iCabbi and subsequently reported it to vpnMentor.

Fowler stumbled upon a non-password-protected database containing a wealth of passengers’ personal information (PII), including names, phone numbers, and email addresses.

The breach impacted nearly 300,000 individuals whose records were exposed.

The database contained 22,745 records in .csv format, detailing contact information and user IDs of customers primarily located in the UK and Ireland.

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The Exposed Data

The breach exposed various email addresses from various providers and private domains. The breakdown of the exposed email addresses includes 117,231 Gmail accounts, 65,060 Hotmail, 17,588 Yahoo, 18,099 iCloud, 12,798 Outlook, and 7,484 Live, among others.

The list also featured email addresses from significant media outlets such as the BBC and government agencies, including the NIH and HM Treasury, highlighting the breach’s potential ramifications.

Data Leak Sample

Upon discovering the breach, Fowler swiftly sent a responsible disclosure notice to iCabbi.

The company reacted promptly, restricting public access to the database the following day.

However, it remains unclear how long the data was exposed or if unauthorized parties accessed the non-password-protected database before the breach was contained.

iCabbi, known for its dispatch and fleet management technology, aims to modernize and manage taxi services, positioning itself as a competitive alternative to ride-hailing companies.

With over one billion bookings registered across 15 countries, the company’s influence in the taxi operation industry is significant.

In 2023, the UK’s taxi operation industry alone was valued at an estimated £8.6 billion, underscoring the potential impact of such a data breach.

As the investigation into the breach continues, the focus will likely shift towards understanding how such a significant amount of sensitive data was left unprotected, and what steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

Both passengers and industry stakeholders should prioritize data security and safeguard against cyber threats, making this breach a call to action.

Secure your emails in a heartbeat! To find your ideal email security vendor, Take a Free 30-Second Assessment.


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Samsung’s April update lands on Galaxy Note 20, Fold 4 & Flip 3

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Samsung’s April update lands on Galaxy Note 20, Fold 4 & Flip 3
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Earlier this month, Samsung accidentally dropped the Galaxy Note 20 series from monthly to quarterly security updates. It has since corrected the error and now released the April security patch for the lineup. Both 4G and 5G versions of the devices are getting the latest SMR (Security Maintenance Release). It is also available for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 3.

Galaxy Note 20 series gets Samsung’s April update

Launched in August 2020, the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are expected to receive monthly security updates till August this year. However, the company sprung a surprise recently by dropping them to quarter updates. Thankfully, it was a mistake. The last Note-branded phones are back to the monthly update schedule and picking up the latest release.

Both 4G and 5G versions of the phones are currently receiving the April SMR in Latin America. The updated firmware build numbers are N98*FXXSAHXD1 and N98*BXXSAHXD1, respectively. Samsung should soon bring the update to other regions, including the US (4G versions weren’t released in the US). You should get a notification when the update arrives.

The Galaxy Note 20 series isn’t getting any new features or improvements with the April update. Samsung is only pushing this month’s security patch, which includes over 40 fixes. The Note phones are no longer eligible for feature updates Debuted with Android 10, they received updates up to Android 13. They won’t get Android 14 or One UI 6.1.

Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 3 are also getting the April SMR

A few days ago, Samsung released the April SMR for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 in the US. The Fold model is now getting this update in international markets, starting with Latin America. The new build number for the phone in the region is F936BXXS5EXD1. The Flip model should soon join the party.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is another Samsung phone that recently started getting the latest security patch. Once again, users in Latin America are first to the update. It comes with the build number F711BXXS7GXD1. A global rollout for this foldable should also be just around the corner.

Neither of these foldables is getting anything more than the latest security fixes today. However, they are eligible for the One UI 6.1 update, so new features and improvements are on the way. Samsung is expected to update its third and fourth-gen foldables to One UI 6.1 in the coming weeks. We will let you know when the rollout begins.


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Oppo and OnePlus phones will use Gemini Ultra

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Oppo and OnePlus phones will use Gemini Ultra
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The implementation of on-device AI on smartphones surged a lot over the past couple of months. This is thanks to Google’s Gemini Nano model. Well, two more companies are implementing Google’s AI to help give their phones some AI goodness. However, there’s a catch. Oppo and OnePlus will use the Google Gemini Ultra model.

In case you don’t know, both Oppo and OnePlus are prominent Chinese smartphone manufacturers, and they are both owned by the same company, BBK. Back in 2021, the two companies finally merged after being so tightly integrated for years. As such, both companies basically go hand in hand.

So, it should come as no surprise that both are implementing Google’s AI at the same time.

Oppo and OnePlus phones will use Gemini Ultra

If you’re looking for on-device AI, the way to go is an AI model that’s optimized to fit on a smartphone’s chip. However, phones like the Pixel 8 Pro and the Galaxy s24 series use a combination of on-device and online-based AI. This means that they use a combination of Gemini Nano and Gemini Pro.

During Google’s latest Cloud Next event, the company announced that Oppo and OnePlus will be using the company’s more powerful Gemini Ultra model. Any person who knows about these three models will be able to see both the positive and negative sides of listening.

During the event, Google announced that Oppo and OnePlus phones will have features like an AI audio summary feature, an AI toolbox feature, and more. The company even mentioned a tool to generate social media posts. Oppo and OnePlus recently announced an AI object remover for photos, but that feature is running off of its own specific AI model. The audio summary and AI Toolbox will run on Gemini Ultra.

So, what is the downside to this?

Well, the beauty of Galaxy AI and Pixel phones is that they’re capable of on-device AI. This means that everything is being processed natively on the device without the need for an internet connection. However, Gemini Ultra is much too large to fit on a phone’s chip. Thus, Oppo and OnePlus’ AI tools will require an internet connection to work.

That’s a bit of a bummer, as on-device AI is all the rage. We are all used to cloud-based AI, so this implementation doesn’t seem all that special. In any case, we know that these tools will be powered by extremely powerful AI smarts.


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